WASHINGTON, D.C. – Georgetown University won an extended first set on Saturday afternoon to take an early 1-0 lead against Loyola University Maryland, but the Greyhounds battled to win the next three sets and claim the Dig The District Tournament title with a 32-34, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20 victory at McDonough Arena.
 
With wins Friday over Maryland Eastern Shore and George Washington, the Greyhounds went 3-0 in the Nation's Capital. Abby Hamilton registered 43 kills in the three matches and was the Tournament Most Valuable Player, and she was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Kacy Sekunda and Katie Forsythe.
 
Hamilton had a season-high 19 kills against the Hoyas, while Sekunda dished out a career-best 50 assists to go with 11 digs, four blocks and four kills, Forsythe led all players with 26 digs on Saturday.
 
Georgetown led the opening set, 24-19, and had five set-point opportunities, but Loyola scored six in a row to tie the frame at 24-24 on a Hamilton kill. Corinne Filograna then served an ace to give Loyola a one-point advantage, but Georgetown came back to score the next two.
 
That would be the Hoyas' sixth of 11 set-point chances that Loyola fended off before Elissa Barbosa finally put the set in Georgetown's column with a kill.
 
Loyola built a 21-14 set-two lead that it would not relinquish to even the match at 1-1. In the second set, neither team led by more than two points following a 6-6 tie until an Adara Kellogg kill put the Greyhounds in front, 20-17.
 
The Hoyas scored twice out of a timeout to draw within a point, but Loyola would not allow them to tie the set, scoring the last four points to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
 
Georgetown came back from a 19-15 fourth-set deficit to tie the score at 19-19, but Loyola scored the next four points and eventually closed out the match with a Hamilton kill.
 
Three Loyola players had double-doubles as Hamilton added 12 digs to her 19 kills. Megan Bukala posted 12 kills and 19 digs, and Sekunda posted her assist-digs double. Kellogg and Cecylia Guye each had nine kills, and Cat Vaccaro added six for the Greyhounds.
 
Loyola wraps up regular-season non-conference play on Wednesday, September 19, when it heads to nearby Coppin State for a 6 p.m. match.